Legis. Norma Gonsalves, R-East Meadow, recently announced that Nassau County has become the first county in New York State to have been granted certification to administer an Overdose Drug Prevention Program from the New York State Department of Health.
The state certification allows the county to train employees and family members of at risk individuals in administering overdose reversal agents, known as Narcan or naloxone, to people who have ingested large amounts of narcotics and who are in a life threatening situation.
“I am extremely pleased that the Nassau County Office of Mental Health, Chemical Dependency and Developmental Disabilities has been granted this certification to operate an Opioid Overdose Program,” Gonsalves said.
Overdose reversal agents are prescription medicines that reverse an overdose by blocking heroin or other opioids in the brain for 30 to 90 minutes. As part of the state certification, Nassau County will be provided with the agents at no cost to residents.
This week, substance abuse organizations, governmental officials and at risk family members, will be eligible for training in administering the overdose reversal agents.
“We have lost too many of our sons and daughters to drug overdoses that could have been prevented," Gonsalves said. "Hopefully, this certification will be another resource to assist us with protecting our communities.”
Do you think the program will be beneficial to Bellmore,Merrick and the rest of Nassau County? Tell us in the comments below.
